Golden Sphere
by ShatteredHeart98
Summary: After installing a new sphere finder on the ship the crew discover a rare and valuable Golden Sphere hidden in an unexplored island. Now its up to YRP to find it, but does it hold information they would rather not know? New dangers are about to be found!
1. Shopping in Luca

**Golden Sphere**

Chapter 1: Shopping in Luca

Bustling crowds pushed their way through the busy streets of Luca, desperate to reach the many shops and markets that were lined on either side. There was no break in the chatter and laughter as they carried handfuls of bags that swung from side to side as they rushed through.

"This is hopeless!"

"Aww, come on Yuni, its not as bad as usual." The thin blonde girl tried to calm the ex-summoner as she grew red from frustration.

"You would know Rikku. You're here almost every afternoon." The gothic warrior Paine pushed through the people with little regard for their safety to clear a path for herself and her fellow Gullwings Yuna and Rikku.

Rikku followed with a pout on her face. "Not _every _afternoon!"

"Please don't start," Yuna moaned with a hand pressed against her aching forehead. "Let's just get through this."

The male members of the Gullwings, Buddy, Shinra and Brother, had decided that the Celsius needed an upgrade after more competing Sphere Hunters were joining the ranks and gathering more and more spheres each week. Shinra, being the smartest of the members joined Buddy in the search for the instalments, and this left the girls with Brother on the ship.

Of course, they decided to shop in Luca, both for their own possessions and to avoid the cocky man boasting about his accomplishments on the ship when all he managed to achieve was sitting on his bum for hours on end and complaining about the lack of respect he was given.

YRP lost count of how many times they were shoved, bumped and knocked around as they entered the chaotic sea of shoppers. Unknown faces passed them in a constant blur and the speech was nothing more than a droning noise in their heads.

Finally they found the light at the end of the tunnel.

"There!" Rikku yelled out, grasping Yuna and Paine by the arms to nod her head in the direction of the desired shop ahead. "Let's start in there!"

Paine glanced at her. "'Moogle Madness'?"

The thief poked out her tongue at the tome of dismay from the warrior. "Well me and Yuna will go in there then. You go and look at your psycho skull and demonic stuff!"

From beside Rikku, Yuna gave Paine an apologetic look before she was whisked away by her young cousin. "We'll meet at the blitzball stadium!" she managed to yell back before disappearing behind a fresh wave of passers-by.

Paine couldn't help but smirk at Rikku's words. "Demonic?"

Many hours passed by, and as the sun began to rise to the centre of the sky, so did the number of shoppers. They exploded through the entrances and joined the lively crowds. They were like predators out in the wild, hinting down their prey, whether it be clothes, weapons or personal gifts.

As Paine had expected, the time Rikku spent in her moogle shop she herself had managed to explore six other stores and had been waiting at the front of the blitzball stadium for ten minutes. She sighed for the tenteith time in agitation and dug her nails into her knee. The pain stung her and she stared down to see that her nails had pierced through the leather. More anger flared inside of her, but before the inferno could start, the blonde appeared with a bundle of bags in both hands. Yuna only held two, and Paine didn't doubt for a moment that they were Rikku's and she couldn't possibly hold an extra one.

"Hiya Paine!" Rikku greeted as she approached the older girl. With a tired sigh she planted the bags on the ground and stretched her arms out. "Wow, who would have thought that moogle merchandise is that heavy?"

The only sympathy Paine had at that moment went straight to a sweaty, exhausted looking Yuna who slumped to her side and collapsed onto the seat beside her.

Paine couldn't hold back a laugh as she stared at the girl struggling to find her second wind. "You look dead on your feet," she pointed out.

Yuna simply pointed to the bags with raw hands and no other explanation was needed. She was shaking from the lack of energy and Paine wondered if she had even found the time to eat.

"I can't believe that this was all you brought from there Yuni!" Rikku explained as she held up a small moogle key ring. It was a light pink with a red heart in its hands and a dark pink pom-pom standing up from its head. "There were millions of good things in there!" undoubtedly the thief was astounded.

"Clearly," Paine said with a smirk, referring to the younger girl's remark. "So did you buy the counter as well?" Smart-ass remarks were a usual for her.

For a moment Rikku didn't understand, then as the information struck realisation she lowered her gaze and sniffed fakely in an attempt to counterattack with guilt.

"Uh, uh, I'm not falling for that," Paine said.

Again Rikku's tongue protruded from her mouth in a rude gesture. "Meanie!"

Around them Blitzers filed past, heading towards the stadium. There was a match being held between the Al-bhed Psychs and the Luca Goers, and soon many people would be filling the area to watch.

Memories flooded Yuna's mind as she watched the muscular players pass by, their uniforms already worn and determination a burning fire in their eyes.

One of the Albhed blitzers passed by close to her and she was struck by his appearance. He had short blonde hair, a fairly tanned body and bright blue eyes. He glanced at her for a moment, gave a small smile, and then continued forward.

For a moment, Yuna sat, frozen, as the man flashed to Tidus in her head. Her dear Tidus, lost to the Farplane, gone from the world he had spent so little time in. Her heart ached so intensely that tears began to flood her eyes. Her hands trembled and she was forced to turn her attention away from the man and stared down at the ground instead, but she still saw him. His image was clear in her mind, his smile causing her heart to beat fast in her chest. His eyes seemed to pierce her soul and the aura of peace and kindness that he held was there, forever locked away in her memories…

"Yuna?"

She jerked back to the real world and looked up quickly to see Rikku kneeling in front of her wearing an expression of concern. "You okay?"

Yuna quickly shook her head to rid it of the haze. "Y-yeah," she replied in a quiet voice. "I was just… thinking."

Beside her, Paine shifted uncomfortably. She knew what had caused the odd behaviour and didn't ask any questions, knowing it would only hurt the girl to keep her mind on the current subject. She simply placed a hand on the girl's shoulder for comfort and kept silent.

To her, love was like a dream she could not reach. She held it for Yuna and Rikku, but to fall in love with someone was something she had never experienced. All she could do was listen to the description others gave and try to imagine it.

"Hey, there's Shinra!" Rikku announced as she stood up and pointed to the small boy in his light brown body suit making his toward them with Buddy beside him.

The pair waved at them, though Buddy only had one free hand as he was carrying a large box with him. On the side was Albhed lettering that Yuna couldn't understand, but Rikku translated as the boys reached them.

"The 'Super Sphere Hunter 5000.'" She stared at the box in confusion, trying to figure out what it actually did from the diagram. All it showed was a bulky silver box with buttons and holes all around the sides. There was a small mark in the centre, and the engraving of a sphere in the corner, but other than that it seemed it was no more than a cube.

"It picks up sphere waves at a much further distance than our current ship sphere finder," Shinra explained. As usual he could not pass up the chance to explain something he knew so much about to the others, but he was speaking as though their current finder was no more than a useless waste of metal.

Yuna clapped excitedly. "Alright!" she yelled out excitedly, her old mood returning. "Let's go back to the ship and install it!" There was no waiting for Yuna when a new discovery was made, but she never lacked caution.

Neither Buddy nor Shinra needed telling twice. Like excited school boys, they ran towards the ship, with the box, chattering away excitedly.

Rikku sighed after them. "Those boys and their ship," she muttered before losing herself to the excitement as well and rushing after them. "Come on!" she cried out over her shoulder to Paine and Yuna.

The two girls' left behind simply glanced at each other, smirking at the little thief as she bustled through the people like a mad Ronso.

"Shall we?" Yuna asked with a shrug as she pulled herself to her feet.

Paine stretched her arms out and sighed tiredly, closing her eyes. "You're keen," she said, lowering her head to rest against her chest as though she were sleeping. She had used up much of her vigour pushing through the crowds and trying to find space to breathe.

"I'm curious," Yuna replied as she clasped her hands together behind her back. "Who knows, maybe it will find something really good."

The hint of sorrow in her tone forced Paine to open her eyes and glance up to see tears brimming in Yuna's eyes.

Seeing the red eyes gaze into her own, Yuna wiped her eyes dry and shrugged. "Moment of weakness," she muttered with a weak smile. It would shatter as soon as Paine turned away. She knew this. Inside she was tormented from her loss, and she had made the mistake of revealing that she still had hope for finding a lead to be reunited with what she had lost.

'He's gone, accept it,' Paine had told her one day after losing her temper completely. It had been a long day full of irritations for all three of the girls. They had become stuck in the desert after the fiend they were chasing broke the only contact they had with the ship. Hours passed before the Celsius could locate them and they were all hungry, tired, thirsty and burnt.

Yuna had made the mistake of brining her longing heart into the conversation as soon as they were back on the ship. For many days she had been suffering after having a dream of him that left her confused and desperate to let her heart speak, but she chose the wrong time to let it all out.

Paine regretted the words as she too remembered. She lowered her head and was about to apologise again, knowing that this was part of Yuna's sadness at that moment, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. As much as it hurt her saying that to Yuna and she would take it back if she could, she felt that she would have said it later anyway.

She knew that Yuna needed to accept what her heart refused to.

Yuna shook her head ti rid herself of the emotions that stung like shards of glass inside and turned to follow the trail of Rikku and the boys that had long since disappeared. "Come on," she said, echoing Rikku's words. She had a strong urging to be back at the ship where the upgrade would take the place for attention instead of her own troubled thoughts.

This time Paine agreed almost immediately out of guilt and followed Yuna through the crowds, heading back towards the Celsius. She too wished to avoid conversing about Yuna's long lost love and could not deny the longing wish to see what the useless looking silver box could do.


	2. An Upgrade

**Chapter 2: An Upgrade**

"Argh, it's broken! Go and get a new one!"

"Calm down Brother, I'm sure it's fine. You just need to-"

"Need to what, Buddy? I am the captain, I am never wrong!"

"Will you two cut it out already!" Rikku screamed, her hands pressed against her ears. It seemed that the upgrade was harder to install then they had anticipated, and Brother was definitely not the man to figure it out. Since tyring to shove it into the bottom of the ship things had gone out of control and his temper with it.

Yuna stood a few metres back, to frightened to try and help incase she became the target of Brother's anger. Currently, it was Buddy who was suffering the captain's rage, and there was only so much he could take of it.

Paine was at the men's left, leaning against the ship. Clearly she was bored as she yawned loudly and struggled to keep her eyes open. Twice Brother had scolded her for this. "Why don't you help!?" he had asked, losing his temper. After Paine had threatened to snap his arms off if he did it again, all he could bring himself to do was give her a tiny glare, shift back a few feet, then continue to try and attach the sphere finder.

There was a loud clang and Buddy leapt back, clutching at his foot. "Yow!" he screamed out as he hopped around on the spot with his foot cradled in his hand. One of the heavy metal tools had been dropped from Brother's hand and found Buddy's foot.

Finally a smile spread across Brother's face at the sight. "Hah! Justice!"

Buddy turned to him, his face pained. "What did I do?"

Another argument broke out, much to the girls' dismay. This time, the words and insults were sharper and soon both boys were wrestling on the ground like they used to as teenagers.

"Brother, get up!" Rikku screamed as she stared trying to detach him from Buddy by gripping him around the neck and pulling with all of her strength. He choked and gasped, but kept his own grip tight around Buddy's head in a headlock.

Yuna simply stared at the fight with a hand over her mouth in shock. She glanced up at Paine just in time to see her giggle and turn away from the sight to laugh.

"You think… you're so… smart!" Brother choked out.

"Well at least I don't pretend!" Buddy retaliated.

"How dare you! I am the-"

"Finished."

Everyone froze and turned to see Shinra lowering himself out of the small opening in the ship. Black grease coated his outfit, especially the mask with worsened the mysterious boy's attire, but he held his hands to his hips and stuck out his chest, proving that he was more than happy with the job he had done.

Brother stared at him. "D-done?" he repeated stupidly as Rikku finally released him.

Shinra nodded. "The instalment. It should be up and running," he said before headed towards the stairs that led up to the bridge. "Hurry up!" he added, calling it over his shoulder to his fellow Gullwings.

With a shrug, Paine pulled herself from the side of the ship and started following after Shinra. She found it a better cure to boredom than watching Brother and Buddy try to tear each other's throats out.

"Wait up!" Rikku called, taking off after her, Yuna at her heels as anticipation seemed to fuel her.

That left Brother and Buddy to dust themselves off, heal their friendship with an awkward handshake, and then climb the steps to the bridge to see what the upgrade could do.

"No one strikes at the captain," Brother muttered under his breath as he reached the top step.

Buddy simply pushed him playfully in the back and climbed up after his best friend.

Once everyone had assembled on the bridge, they were greeted with confusing news from Shinra as he launched himself from his small chair at the computer system and ran over to them all.

"I can't believe this," he started, his voice heightened by amazement as he pointed to the screen behind him. "It can pick up the waves of Golden Spheres!"

All his information earned him was a group of blank faces that stared back. It seemed none knew what on Spira he was talking about. All they had ever known of were normal old spheres. They had heard nothing of Golden Spheres.

With a sigh, the masked boy began explaining. "Golden Spheres are rare and valuable spheres that are hidden in the most perilous locations all around Spira. I've spent so long trying to create an invention that could locate them, but I never succeeded."

"Wait, wait, wait, valuable?" was all Brother could say as he bent down I front of Shinra as though he were about to speak to a five year old. "You did say valuable, right?"

Rikku rolled her eyes behind her brother. "Who cares about that! Think about the recording it would have!"

A small chuckle came from Paine as she stood away from the group, naturally. "I have never seen all of you so excited about a sphere before," he pointed out as she gazed around at the group. Each of them looked as though they had just been crowned the kings and queens of sphere hunting. She closed her eyes and sighed. "I guess it does sound pretty worth it," she added, unable to deny the fact.

Yuna clapped excitedly. "I can't wait until it locates one!" she said animatedly, her eyes ablaze with enthusiasm. She knew that it would be the perfect distraction from her troubled thoughts, and after damaging her friendship with Paine she wished for something that could bring them closer together as friends again. She risked an awkward glance back at the stoic warrior and received only a blank stare that showed no emotion.

Little did the gunner know that Paine was thinking the exact same thing and the idea twisted itself around in her mind as she analysed it.

'Seems like it could work I guess,' she thought as her eyes burned into Yuna's, but she turned back around a moment later.

There was a sudden flashing light that sprung from the computer screen behind Shinra, then the buzzing of the alert. Everyone sprang to life at the signs and stared at the entire desk as it lit up like a dozen light bulbs.

"We won't have to wait long to find a Golden Sphere after all," Shinra said with a smile. "The Sphere Hunter 3000 just found one."

Authors Note – Sorry this is such a short chapter. I promise the next one will be longer. Please review 


	3. A new Adventure

**Chapter 3: A New Adventure**

The red light printed on the Gullwings' faces as they stared down at the flashing screen behind Shinra. A small golden spot had appeared on the map and seemed to be the cause for the consistent droning beep. It was on an island that was a stormy grey, almost completely black. It seemed to be made up of scorched rock and larger mountainous stones rose from the ground, leaving it looking devilish and evil. Some areas were bright red or orange and looked as though they were lakes of fire. This only added to the caution that it demanded at a single glance.

Yuna shivered at the sight. "Shinra," she started as she turned to him. "Where exactly is this?"

The small boy hopped up onto the desk beside the screen, being careful not to disturb any of the buttons, and flicked a small red switch. Instantly the alert siren silenced and he could speak. "It seems to be some sort of uncharted island," he explained on closer inspection. "The upgrade I just installed seems to be able to scan a larger area as well as find golden spheres, so my guess is that this island has been here for a long time, but it hasn't been found by many people if they haven't mentioned its sighting."

"So you mean we could be the first people to find it?" Rikku asked eagerly as she pawed at the air like a puppy begging for food.

Shinra shrugged. "Well, if we decide to, we'll be the first to report it. But who knows how many people had trodden there before us. Maybe there still there even as we speak."

Paine tensed, the excitement seeming unable to make an affect on her. "Why would someone keep it quiet?"

"Maybe it's dangerous," Buddy suggested as he held a thumb to his chin in thought. "I mean, look at it."

Brother jumped up in his face and growled at him. "Mood killer!" he shouted.

"Now everyone, we all need to calm down!" Yuna instructed fiercely. All eyes were turned to her, shocked at her sudden act as leader, and now they were all waiting for her next determined words. Unfortunately her burst of passion had abandoned her and she let her gaze fall to her feet shamefully. She never was much of a leader figure like her dear Tidus.

"I guess it's up to out our YRP to figure this one out," Buddy put forward with an encouraging grin at the three girls.

"Right!" They chorused as they banded together to discuss the plan of action.

Naturally, Rikku was the first to speak. "What do you say girls? Do we go?" she asked as she laid a hand on Paine's and Yuna's backs and huddled closer to block out their voices from the boys who waited keenly on the outside.

Yuna smiled up at them. "Well that Golden Sphere is sounding pretty good, don't you think?"

Negatives flooded Paine's mind and she brought them into the conversation, blocking out Rikku's excited squeals. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. This place reeks of danger. No one has said anything about it, we know virtually nothing about it, and look where it is! We don't know what sort of fiends could be lurking there!"

"Now look at who the Mood Killer is," Rikku muttered with a pout. A sharp glare from Paine set her straight again.

Yuna sighed. "Paine's right, but if this place really is safe and we pass up the opportunity, think of what we could be missing out on!"

"Yeah!" Rikku added in a high voice as she punched the air, then straightened up and resumed her position quickly as the boys stared at her in confusion.

Again Paine felt uneasy about the mission that she could already see forming in the other girls' minds. "I don't feel right about this, but I guess if we take extra caution and make sure we are completely prepared if things go wrong, we can do it." She finally gave in.

The news was too much for Rikku. She threw herself from her two friends and started dancing around on the spot. "Yeah! New mission!" she screamed out, ending the suffering of Buddy, Brother and Shinra.

"Yahoooo!" Brother yelled equally as loud. He clapped his hands together and began dancing with his sister. "Think of the money!"

"Think of the footage!" Rikku added.

"Think of the fiends," Paine reminded grimly.

Yuna laughed as she turned to her fellow companion clad in black. "Don't worry Paine. We'll be fine. We beat Vegnagun, didn't we?"

Paine released a heavy sigh, which slouched her shoulders even more as she crossed her arms across her chest. "I guess," she finally replied.

As though that was all he needed to confirm the plan, Brother shouted out, "Then it is decided!" He pointed straight at Buddy. "Head to that island!"

Buddy scowled back at him. "Take it easy," he grumbled, but he obeyed and started to steer the ship towards their new destination.

"Ohhh, I can't wait! Finally, a sphere worth while!" Rikku chimed.

"It had better be," Paine snarled. "Looks like were risking having asses burnt to charcoal for this thing."

Yuna stared at her in surprise. She only usually swore when she was nervous, and of course, as soon as the tough, seeming unbreakable warrior was afraid, there was definitely something to fear for all of them.

Sensing the fear in Yuna, Rikku glowered at Paine. "We'll be fine," she said before rushing to the warrior's side as Yuna turned her back. "It will be a good distraction for her. Please don't scare her away now," she whispered.

"Fine," Paine muttered back, before adding quietly, "You're right."

Lately Yuna had been dwelling more on the loss of Tidus, and tension was always thick when they were around her. Her behaviour had changed too. Sometimes she would act like someone completely different, then deflate again like she had moments ago.

After always being so together, the others knew that something was definitely wrong with her.

As though to take the attention away from them to play it safe, Rikku launched herself back into the middle of the room and resumed her giddy dancing.

She was always like this when her energy levels grew too high. Excitement was like a drug to her, and this was only one of the many side effects it had on her. Paine and Yuna enjoyed listing the others as a past time. Some included excessive talking (More than usual), laughing fits, changing into the berserker dressphere to release this energy store, and many more that left the list metres long.

Clouds and shades of blue whipped past as the ship tore across the sky at breakneck speed. The new island awaited, and soon it was a little smudge in the distance.

The three Gullwing girl's had stocked up on potions, phoenix downs, antidotes, echo screens, and any other status aliment healer they saw fit to carry. Soon the bags at their waists were bulging and they had to use a basic gem that Shinra always carried to reduce the size and weight. It was an old Albhed instrument that gained them more respect once it was discovered, and even as he handed it over, Shinra seemed to burst with pride.

"Okay, are we ready?" Yuna asked her friends as they double-checked their sphere grids.

"Do you really think we'll need the songstress dressphere Yuni?" Rikku asked her cousin politely as she glanced down at the grid in the gunner's hands.

"It could come in handy," Yuna pointed out as she smiled up at Paine. "And I assume your taking the warrior, berserker, dark knight…"

Paine shrugged as Yuna recited her sphere grid that indeed consisted of the stronger, more demonic dressphere. "Someone needs to get brutal in there," was her only defence.

Brother stared at them, his hands on his hips as he waited impatiently. Clearly he wanted the value from the sphere and didn't seem to realise how harmful this island could be.

"Ready?" he asked, not being able to hold back the rude tone.

Rikku shook her head wildly to clear the daze and realised how long they had taken. The ship was already only metres from the island and the very sight caused her to jump in surprise.

Yuna laughed and nodded her head decisively. "Come on girls! We have a new adventure on our hands!"


	4. Distant Land

**Chapter 4: Distant land**

Barren, dark and lonely. They were the only three words to describe the land that hid the Golden Sphere. Everyone on the bridge was grim as they stared down at the scorched earth below. The Celsius got closer and closer until it rumbled softly, indicating they had landed.

"Well, this is it," Buddy announced as he turned himself around in his chair to face Yuna, Rikku, and Paine. "I wish you guys luck. This place looks pretty nasty."

As thought it had been waiting for those exact words, a thick sheet of rain descended upon the island. It flowed down the glassy front of the ship, blurring their view before it began to thin out almost as sudden as it had come.

The water flowed in small streams in between the sea of rocks that lay across the dark land and ran down the walls of stone that curved around the sides in waterfalls. The distance was covered by a grey sheet of mist, hiding what lay ahead and leaving it hidden in mystery. It was an eerie and dismal sight, and left the Gullwings wondering what they had gotten themselves into this time.

"Well, does that change your mind about this little adventure?" Shinra asked from behind the girls' in a worried voice. Clearly he wanted them to continue their journey, but whether it was out of greed for the sphere they did not know.

Yuna shook her head, speaking for the three. "A little weather has never stopped us before. Why should it stop us now?"

"That's right!" Rikku yelled out, punching her fist into the air. "Were not going to turn around at the sight of a little downpour!"

Paine remained silent. She knew that there was nothing she could say that would change the mind of her stubborn friends, no matter how intense the tugging fearful state in the back of her mindbecame.

"Good, because it doesn't look like it's going to stop for a while," Buddy said from the front of the ship.

The dark clouds that cloaked the sky seemed to spread further and became almost as dark as the earth. Soon the only source of light was the distant glow from the burning lakes that the crew had seen on the map. They stared through the glass out at the land three of them would soon walk upon and despair gripped them all inside for a brief moment as they realised that it was going to be different from the other places in Spira.

Shinra appeared at Yuna's elbow and held up a small instrument that looked like a remote of some sort with a small map identical to the one on his computer.

"This will lead you to the Golden Sphere," he explained. "And It will also give you contact with the Celsius, though I can't be sure of that because I don't know this island. The atmosphere here could cut off the waves used for contact." He hesitated for a moment, then said, "If that happens, your on your own."

Yuna nodded, appreciating the device but shocked at the realisation of what would happen if they had no contact. She hid the thought away deep in her mind and studied the instrument for a moment. The same blinking dot showed the location of the Golden Sphere, and a second dot identified where she was. The distance between the two was great and she took in a sharp breath of air. They had a long way to go.

The weather ceased to calm as the three girls stood at the bottom of the steps and stared out across the land. It was as demonic as it had looked inside of the ship, but now they could sense the unnerving air that hung about. The feeling chilled them to the bone more than the temperature could and for a moment they wanted to rush back up the stairs and forget about the entire ordeal, but the opportunity was too much to pass up and they each stepped onto the black ground.

Beneath their feet the rock crunched and cracked. It was weak like thin glass and felt as though it wouldn't support them for another second, but they took another few steps away from the ship and it seemed to become stronger.

Puddles of water covered the earth around them, soaking into the ground and turning some parts to mud. The short walls surrounding them spiked at the top like a fence used to keep people out, and as Yuna stared she had the uncomforting feeling that they were trapped inside a cage with no way to escape.

The feeling turned to dread as the Celsius roared to life and began to drift from the ground.

"Were leaving now," Buddy said into the Sphere Finder that Yuna had clipped to her belt. "The ground beneath the ship is unstable."

The tone of his voice betrayed him and said that the departure was due to fear.

Static became the dominant sound as Buddy's voice disappeared, then Brother spoke. "Good luck. It looks like you will need it out there." He fell silent for a moment before continuing. "Yuna, Paine, take care of Rikku. Captain's order!"

Yuna smiled up at Rikku as she shrugged, mumbling about how Brother thought she was useless.

"Don't worry, we'll take good care of her," Yuna assured as Brother ended the transmission.

A deep rumbling in the distance signalled flashes of lightening, and Rikku couldn't help but flinch as her old fear sparked inside.

Paine raised an eyebrow. "Were not going to have to carry you through like a baby, are we?" she asked, he voice clear with amusement.

Rikku poked her tongue out at the warrior. "No! I'm over lightening and thunder," she said in her defence. She squared her shoulders and tried to look tough, but a sudden boom of thunder forced her to cower and jump back. Her foot stuck one of the many rocks around them and she fell backwards into a puddle.

Water had splashed up onto Paine who was not fast enough to move out of the way, but Yuna remained dry and safe.

She laughed with the drenched blonde and held a hand out to her as Paine scowled. "Come on," she said kindly to her cousin. "Let's get started on this quest."

Once she was on her feet, Rikku hurried after the other pair as they started to run through the first area of the giant island. The rain showered down on them, saturating their clothes and the temperature soon dropped greatly, but their spirits remained high as they trudged through the mud and water, heading towards the Golden Sphere that awaited them in the distance.


	5. Dressphere Change

**Chapter Five: Dressphere Change**

"Yuni, how much further? My legs are killing me and my boots are all dirty!"

"Rikku, if you whine one more time, I swear I will take all of your remaining respect points and then you'll finally see me lose it completely!"

The bickering between Rikku and Paine had lasted hours as the group of three trudged through foot deep mud with rain pouring down. They were in a small clearing that was surrounded by high spires of rock that reminded them of the lightening rods in the Thunder Plains. Water dripped down from them like lakes and turned the dirt they walked along to mud. Soon they would be swimming in the stuff if they didn't find dry ground again.

Yuna pointed this out to the other girls and Rikku yelped in surprise.

"Swimming? In this? Ewwww!"

Paine clenched her teeth, but fought back an angry retort.

Yuna smiled encouragingly. "Come on Rikku, your not afraid of a little mud are you? Think of it as sand."

A distant roar of thunder cut off Rikku's reply and she screamed out. Trembles racked her body and she slipped and fell forwards. Luckily for her Paine had fast reflexes and caught her around the middle seconds before she could kiss the mud.

"Are you alright?" Yuna asked her cousin, trying to hold back the laughter.

With a white face, Rikku nodded and thanked Paine as she was pushed back up onto her feet again.

"It's fine," Paine mumbled. "Just don't make me have to rescue you again next time or it'll cost points."

Rikku pouted. "How many?"

Paine smiled back. "Depends on how much effort I have to put in to save your ass."

In the distance that surrounded them it seemed there was just mountain of rock, but far ahead they could see a thin slither of orange. They had assumed that it was some sort of lava lake and tried to ignore the molten obstacle that they knew they would soon have to face. According to the map, they had to go straight through before heading away from North.

Mud had filled the boots of all three girls and the rising level left the bottoms of their stomachs covered in mud. Soon they were wading in the mess, and seeing the distance they still had to cover, they started to realise that they could drown before they even made it to the lake. As though finding the position the girls' were in, the rain came down harder.

"That's it," Rikku moaned. She had finally taken all she could, and with a quick flick of her wrist that she had clearly done millions of times, she pulled out her sphere grid from one of the many pockets that were attached to her belt.

Before Paine or Yuna could ask her what she was changing into, she picked a dressphere and activated the change. Bright lights surrounded her, changing to a sea blue, then blood red, then bright yellow, and finally a blinding white. She was lifted into the air, completely motionless, then her body completely disappeared.

Paine glanced over at Yuna. "What dressphere can possible help us out here? We don't have any with wings, we can't cast any magic that gets rid of mud, and we certainly don't have any that enable us to use gills…"

"Your guess is as good as mine," said Yuna, shrugging.

A moment later the flashes of light appeared again, each brighter than they were before. Rikku appeared in the centre of the beautiful sight, her blonde hair waving around her as though she were swimming deep beneath a surface of water and her eyes were firmly shut. Her black and purple clothes gave away immediately what she had chosen to become, and with a repulsive 'splat' she was deposited into the mud again.

Paine stared at the mage as she straightened up and pulled her rod free of the brown muck. "Okay, and what exactly are you planning to do with that?"

Rikku gave a disgusted look as she waved her rod in the air to rid it of the putrid brown globs that covered it. "You'll see," she said simply. How she loved leaving her friends guessing with her plans.

Once the rod was clean, light blue patterns appeared along the gold metal and twisted around to the very edge that Rikku held. They were unreadable, an alien language to the girls, but they shone with a certain significance. Droplets of water fell into he mud and a gentle wind blew around Rikku as she closed her eyes and prepared the spell. The rod seemed to pulse with life in her hand, and for a moment it seemed she had no control at all.

Seeing what she was about to do, Yuna rushed forward as fast as she could through the thick layers of sludge. "Rikku, don't!"

It was too late. Rikku uttered the word "Waterga," and waved of the rod in the air. Crystal clear liquid exploded in front of her. It mixed with the mud, turning it to a light brown, then rose up into a wave, roaring and building until it was as high as a tower in Spira.

"What's happening?" Rikku gasped as the spell rose into the air like an animal preparing to pounce. "Waterga had never done this before!"

"Idiot!" Paine yelled as she ran forwards and stepped in front of Rikku. "You'll drown all of us!" She glared at the younger girl from over her shoulder. "Don't you _ever _think?!"

There was silence for a moment as the wave hung in the air, a sickening mixture of muck, clumps of dirt, and water. Yuna held onto Rikku's arm and tried to pull her back as Paine glared up at the spell that had gone terribly wrong, bracing herself. She searched her mind quickly, trying to decide what to do, but it was too late to act.

The water began to fall as though in slow motion. Each drop that flung from the mass hung in the air for a moment, completely unnatural, before disappearing back into the heart of the wave as it plummeted into the three Gullwings. The sound of the wave was almost deafening, a deep roar as its wet jaws swallowed them whole, and then only the sound of bubbles exploding around them could be heard as the three girls were slammed through the surface of the water.

Yuna twisted madly around, tyring to straighten herself out so she could kick to the surface. Rikku floated motionless, seeming unconscious from the water's impact.

The first thing Paine realised as she came out of her daze was that she could no longer breathe. Fear clutched her, icy cold. Her heart pounded and she looked up to see that the surface was no longer visible from the mess of black and brown. She turned to see Yuna approaching, finally having located her friend, but Paine's heart skipped a beat when she saw Rikku, unmoving and pale, a few metres behind.

Immediately the warrior swam past a confused Yuna and reached the thief. She grasped her around the middle tightly, and then turned back to Yuna. Speaking with her body language, she jerked her head upwards, indicating that she meant to find the surface, and Yuna followed with a simple nod.

Unfortunately the spell was not entirely finished. Like a dying animal the water started to jerk and splash, then turned into rapids. Paine and Yuna were thrust down, falling through a tube of water that had formed around them. It was like a tornado, and refused to let them go. The power was unthinkable and the force enough to drive the remaining air from their lungs.

Struggling to find an air supply, Yuna tried to take a breath and was, of course, rewarded with nothing but water. It rushed into her mouth and down her throat where it clogged as she coughed wildly. Paine saw her struggling and grasped her arm with a free hand, then braced herself as she saw a blue rocky wall below.

It was like a long snake and stretched on for as far as she could see, but she only received a brief few seconds before colliding with the structure.

The impact was enough to cause her to cry out, but she silenced as soon as she hit the ground with a painful thud. Her head bounced up, and then hit the ground a second time and a terrible ache surged through her body as though every bone inside her had broken. Water followed after her rough landing, spilling on top of her and her friends like a jug had been tipped out over them. She was forced to wait another minute for air and feared for her life more than she had ever before, but something grasped her by the arm tightly with shaking fingers and pulled her out from under the rushing water.

Opening her eyes a crack, Paine saw a flash of metal that was unmistakably Yuna's guns, then she closed them again as she was hauled painfully up onto a thick slab of rock. She could feel the cold limp body of Rikku in her arms still, and only when she realised that she could not feel her stomach rising beneath her hands did she finally react.

Yuna stumbled forward at the sight of her cousin and reached out to unlatch her from Paine, but the warrior seemed to spasm to realisation and tried to pull herself up. Immediately, Yuna stepped back as Paine took charge and rolled Rikku completely onto her back.

"Shit," the warrior gasped at the sight of the white form that was Rikku. She placed two trembling fingers against her neck to feel for a pulse as her body shook from panic and cold. As soon as she found the right spot to find a pulsing heartbeat, Rikku coughed water into her face.

Yuna rushed forward as Paine jerked back, and started helping Rikku into a sitting position, pounding her on the back to empty her lungs of the water.

Slowly the youngest girl's green eyes opened and she stared back at Paine with a smile on her face. "Sorry about that Doctor P."

Paine shook her head to rid it of the water that had erupted from the girl. "Lucky thing you came back. I would have taken respect points if I had to give you CPR."

The steady drip of water became an infuriatingly constant sound. Rocks littered the ground, some reaching out to latch themselves to the slimy moss covered walls. There was nothing remotely attractive in the tunnel. Every slab of stone was a stormy grey with large flecks of black, and the only plant life that existed were clumps of brown grass that were metres tall and climbed the walls.

Surprisingly, Rikku didn't complain about the change from clumpy mud to mossy filth. In fact, she had been quiet ever since they had 'arrived' in the tunnel.

Paine pointed this out, and she simply shrugged.

"Just tired I guess," was her only excuse.

Now Yuna was curious. "Since when do you get tired Rikku?"

Sighing, the young thief turned to her cousin. "Everyone gets tired." Her voice sounded a little shaky and held a hint of unhappiness, a rare sound, and Paine realised that she would not meet her eyes. Everytime she was about to, her green irises would flick to another point in the tunnel and she would shy away completely, falling back a few steps and becoming a shadow in the group.

"I have never seen you like this," Paine pointed out, stopping in her tracks and grasping Rikku's arm. "Are you sure your okay? You were pretty messed up after coming through the ceiling of this place."

The thief struggled and tried to break free of Paine's grip, but she was strong.

Yuna appeared on the opposite side. "Maybe you took in too much water?" she suggested.

"Look," Rikku almost cried out. It sounded as though she were about to burst into tears as her voice broke, but she stayed calm as she turned to face Paine. "Back there in the mud lake you…" She paused and stared down at the ground as tears formed in her eyes.

Knowing that she was probably not going to be able to continue, Paine racked her brain with the information she had been given, and then it hit her. "Wait, is this about what I said? Calling you an idiot, and… and saying that you never think…" She bit her lip and tried to think of what to say.

Rikku looked up with sad eyes. "I just wanted to turn the mud to water so we could all swim out and…" She paused, and then anger flickered into her eyes. "Why can't you like me like Yuna? Aren't we friends?" She didn't even give Paine a chance to reply. She fled from them, finally breaking free of Paine's grip, and disappeared down the tunnel.

"Rikku!" both Yuna and Paine screamed in unison. They rushed after her, though she was out of sight. Moments later they heard an ear piercing scream, but it only made them run faster.

At the end of the tunnel was a shallow hole with foot deep water in which Rikku was sitting, staring up at her companions. In her lap was a small red sphere that glowed brightly, filling the fissure with light.

"Rikku, is that a sphere?" Yuna asked, completely dumbfounded.

With a smile, Rikku threw the sphere up to Yuna who caught it, and then she started trying to climb the wall.

Yuna started studying the blood red orb in her hand, turning it this way and that, but Rikku slipped halfway up the hole without her even noticing. Paine's hand shot out and gripped Rikku's wrist and with an easy tug she pulled her to up to the edge where she climbed out.

"Thanks," the thief muttered, averting Paine's gaze again.

With quick movements Paine lifted her face and grasped her wrist with the opposite hand. "Rikku, this is hard to say, but I do like you as a friend. I just-"

Rikku shook her head, cutting off the older girl. "Don't," she said, then smiled gently. "We have a sphere to try out… Talk about it later."

From the side, Yuna smiled at the pair. "Yeah, later. I don't think either of you want to stay down here much longer do you?"

Paine laughed, then snatched the sphere playfully from Yuna's hand. "Well I certainly don't, but lets at least see what this thing can do."

The lake above had not finished its toll of misfortune on the pair and started to become too much for the tunnel. Splits appeared on the walls and water poured out, soaking them. The cracks grew, stretching out across the rocky walls and allowing more muddy brown water in.

Instinctively, Paine grasped the wrists of Rikku and Yuna and started to run them down the tunnel. "Damn it!" she shouted, her voice echoing. "As soon as something good finally happens, something always finds a way to spoil it!"

"Stop complaining and run!" Yuna shouted through her hysteria as rocks collapsed behind them. They could feel the flecks of stone on their backs and were forced to race through at a faster pace.

"It's no use!" Rikku cried out as she started to lose her energy and fall behind. "We won't make it!"

Yuna yelled out in frustration. She knew it was true, but she couldn't face it. She didn't want to die there.

Fortunately, Paine had another idea, and she froze in her spot, slipping a little on the wet tunnel floor. Her companions stared at her in surprise, but she ignored them and glanced up at the roof of the tunnel as it started to collapse. As the rocks plummeted towards them she pulled her sword free from its sheath and sliced through the debris, then, still holding onto her friends, she launched herself up through the water that spilled out.

They were back in the lake where they had started. Below, the tunnel pressure was trying to suck them back in, but seconds before they could disappear back into the death-trap, it filled with water and they were thrown up through the muddy mess until they broke through the surface above.

Water erupted around them in an explosion of glistening droplets, then stilled as though nothing had happened at all.

"Yeah, we did it!" Rikku shouted out as she slammed her fist into the water, showering Paine and Yuna.

With a shrug, Paine finally released the pair as she realised she was still holding onto them. "Well now that that's over, we can find out what this sphere…" She froze as she realised that she no longer held the glistening red orb in her hand.

Yuna laughed at her fear. "It's okay, I caught it as soon as you dropped it. You were more focused on grabbing Rikku so you could get her to the surface along with me that you didn't even notice." She smiled at Rikku, then handed the sphere to Paine.

Rikku seemed dumbstruck, but she remained silent on that subject. Instead, she said, "Come on, let' get to land."

With a nod, Paine followed the youngest of the three, but she wondered what she would say to her. How could she think that she didn't care about her? She had saved her a million times.

As though sensing her agony, Yuna pat her on the back. "Don't worry, you'll think of that to say."

Paine bit her lip. "I hope I do. I don't want her getting distracted and falling in battle…" She swallowed and turned away, whispering, "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for that…"


	6. In Deep trouble

**Chapter Six: In Deep Trouble**

Being free of the sludge that they had been swimming in for hours was like emerging from a pool they had spent too much time in, but they had no towels, no source of heat, leaving them drenched, cold, and miserable.

As usual, Rikku broke the silence. "This is horrible! How can we keep going like this? And where are all the fiends?"

Paine shrugged, unable to find herself mad as the thief started to talk again after being so silent in the tunnel. "Well, at least the rain has stopped. And that means that the fiends will probably be out to play soon." A wicked smile formed on her lips and she stared at the sphere in her hands. "Than we get to play as well."  
Yuna glanced at Rikku as she walked a few steps ahead, keeping a lookout. "Why don't you try using the black mage again to make a fire or something that can warm us up?"

"You trust me to use that dressphere again?"

Yuna shrugged. "I think you've learnt your lesson."

Rikku turned to the warrior of the group. "Paine?"

"If your confident in not almost killing us again."

Yuna interrupted as Rikku began to reply. "Don't worry about it. I just found our first fiends," she informed them with a tightened voice.

In an instant the Gullwings formed a line, each holding their weapons out and scanning the area to make sure there were no more targets other than the three massive creatures that Yuna had spotted ahead.

The fiends were stocky, plated animals that looked like hounds made purely of bone white scales. They had black skulls with a thin layer of brown skin stretched over the top and a pair of red eyes peering over at their prey. Thick, knotted muscle was visible, lining their legs and surrounding their shielded bodies, and long thick tails waved behind them, bending along the ground and moving piles of stone and dirt powerlessly.

"Guess they're the sort of fiends we should be expecting here," Paine pointed out as she stared at the demonic pair. "How… bizarre."

"I don't like them," Rikku almost whimpered, but she stood strong, her grasp steady on her daggers.

The fiends unleashed an echoing howl that pierced the ears of YRP before launching themselves towards them. Their heads swayed side to side manically and their paws pounded deep into the earth.

"Paine, the sphere," Yuna urged calmly as she raised her guns, ready to fire.

Paine nodded and lifted the sphere high into the air where it glinted and left shades of red on her face. She took out her own sphere grid with a whip of her hand. "I'll go first, then you two activate it on your sphere grids and-" She was cut off as the sphere began to shine and she realised she didn't need to do anything at all. It was working itself, and before she could react the land around her changed.

Explosions of fire and debris showered down on her. Waterfalls of lave surrounded her, spewing into boiling pits that dug bit deep into the cracked and broken ground beneath her feet. Smoke whirled around, robbing her of breath, but she landed firmly on the ground, only having just realised she was floating. Her body began to tremble and she collapsed in a heap. There she clawed with nails of steel, and her eyes glowing a bright red. Anger exploded inside until she was screaming out in rage. It was torture, yet she enjoyed it. She began to laugh out loud, hysterical and pained, but it was laughter none the less.

"Paine?"

Yuna was above her in the real world, staring down in concern. Paine realised that she was lying on the ground, laughing to herself, and slowly she raised herself up. She barely took notice of her friends. Instead she stared ahead, thrill and excitement coursing through her as her bloodied eyes flicked to the beasts that approached.

"Like I said, play time," she snickered before throwing herself at the enemy. Each step felt so strong, so heavy, she felt as though she could kick through a wall. Every sense inside of her seemed to had heightened. She could hear the cracking of steaming rocks, feel the intense heat and burning coal fragments in the air as it whipped past. She barely even realised that she was running much faster than usual until she had slipped straight past her targets.

Cursing, she bent down and dug her clawed hands into the dirt. It was as she glanced down at her hands, a wave of dirt flowing after them, that she realised black tattoos, fading into a deep crimson, had spread up her arm. It seemed to pulse, but it wasn't enough pain to hurt her. In fact, it only added coal to the fire burning inside.

Many metres back now, Yuna and Rikku were struggling to come to terms with what had happened to Paine. They stared at her from across the distance as she directed herself back at the confuse hounds in the centre of the clearing.

"I've never seen anyone move that fast," Rikku gasped as she fell to her knees in shock. With shaking hands she lifted the sphere that had been discarded by Paine and stared at it with worried eyes. "What kind of dressphere is this?"

Yuna's hand shot out and grasped the orb. "Well, it doesn't matter right now. She needs out help, and I don't think we can beat these things with any other sphere."

Indeed, Paine was having trouble on her own. Though she was strong enough to punch through walls of rock and jump higher than many of the odd rocky pillar structures, the hounds were becoming too much.

Blood sprayed against her as she slammed her fist into the jaw of the nearest hound. She cracked through its thick skull and it was thrown back, but the second fiend leapt onto her back and forced her to the ground. It's strong claws dug into her flesh and she screamed out. Hot blood poured over her shoulder and pooled beside her cheek.

"Enough!" A deep growling voice caught the hound's attention, and a moment later it was sent flying across the area. It hit the ground a few metres away with a heavy thud before it stilled, but a moment later it lifted its head and began to scramble to its feet.

"Damn," Yuna muttered, but a smile spread across her lips. "I guess I'll have to rip through its face next time."

Paine glanced up at the once kind hearted gunner and smiled at the sight. She too had the odd tattoos stretched across her body. It thinned out at her neck, but left small trails along her temples and jaw line. Her eyes, as red as blood, scanned the area and her arms tensed up, thick muscle more visible beneath the patterns stretched over them.

Along with these changes, her attire had also been altered. A sleeveless leather jacket, as black as the night complimented her strong, fit body, and heavy tears revealed a dark grey shirt beneath. A heavy chain hung across her waist, holding up a long pair of black pants that balled up at her feet. Rips decorated the bottom, and a row of stitched crosses lined the sides.

"Something wrong?" she asked as she stared down at Paine.

"No, the look suits you is all," Pain replied, pushing herself up. "About time you ditched the innocent look."

"So a mini skirt and 'barely there' shirt is innocent?" Rikku had joined them, wearing similar clothes and sharing the same amazing speed. She grinned as she arrived, revealing rows of pointed teeth that gleamed painfully.

Paine shrugged. "You have a point."

"Enough conversing!" Yuna suddenly shouted out, lowering herself like a cat about to pounce. "It's coming back, and it has friends."

No longer was one hound remaining. Another pair followed, and behind them three more struggled to keep up. Each wore looks of hunger, their long black tongues rolling out of their mouths and saliva dripping to the ground.

Paine laughed and picked at her claws absent-mindedly. "Guess we're on the menu." She was calm and steady, but Rikku was uncontrollable.

"Let's go!" she screamed out, only a slight growling hint to her usual high voice. She had no mind for caution and sped towards the nearest of the hounds. With a strangled cry she leapt into the air, balled her hand into a fist, and slammed it down on the hound. As soon as she felt her knuckles collide with its spine three of the other fiends dove into her and knocked her to the ground.

"Rikku!" Paine screamed as she gaped at the sight. The young girl was being dragged across the ground like a piece of cloth. Blood spurted from her arm as one of the beasts tore into her, and soon her pained face was hidden from view as the rest of the pack joined the attack.

"Come on!" Yuna yelled, grasping Paine by the back of her black shirt and yanking her to her feet with ease, something she would never had been capable of or dared doing in any other dressphere.

The pair raced towards the attacking fiends and they threw themselves against the shielded creatures again and again, claws swiping and teeth tearing into flesh. Blood pooled around them until finally a gap appeared. Yuna dove in and dragged out a struggling Rikku.

With a mighty 'thwack' Paine slammed her head into the jaw of one of the hounds, ignoring the ringing that pulsed through her brain, then slit deep into the armours throat of another. Blood splattered against the ground as she ripped through an artery, and as she prepared another attack she heard an animal whining from behind her.

Rikku had been hurt severely, and Yuna, thinking of no other way, changed into a white mage to heal her. The pain that surged through Rikku caused her to yelp out in agony, and tears flooded Paine's eyes.

With an ear splitting roar, the girl lost her control completely and ren headfirst into the remaining of the group. It felt as though a hundred daggers had pierced into her flesh and she collapsed to her knees completely. She could feel the blood gushing from her wounds, and was butted this way and that in the tight group, but she didn't give up like that. Her strength had heightened and she thrust her palm to the left, blinded by a shuddering mass of thick bon armour.

A heavy thump indicated a good hit, and the body of a hound hit the ground in a cloud of dust. She had broken a countless number of bones, and blood soaked the earth from its mouth. Desperately, she lifted herself to a half standing position, but everytime she began to rise she would be knocked back to the ground.

Thankfully, help arrived. The youngest of the gullwings had healed and dove in top of Paine's attackers. With wild growls she ripped and tore at the bodies, flakes of hard shell covering flying up around her. She was like a chainsaw biting into wood until finally she reached the sap. Blood flowed around her as her claws reached flesh.

Though Rikku was taking a toll on the hounds, there were too many and she soon became lost under the mass. Paine lay beside her, reaching out blindly until her hand touched the young girl's ribs. Through closed eyes she rested her hand on her back to protect her, ignoring the painful ripping sensation as claws and teeth attacked her arm.

"Hey! Over here!"

Yuna's voice had attracted the attention on many of the beasts, but they did not move. Paine's eyes burst open as she realised what Yuna was trying to do. She tried to yell out to her, tell her not to lure them to her, but it was too late. The white mage's staff flew through the air and hit the beasts. Enraged, they fled from the pair and raced towards Yuna instead.

All Paine and Rikku could hear was a desperate cry, the scratching of wolves as they scuttled along the rocky ground, and then the roaring of triumph.

'She's dead,' Paine though dismally as she lay against the hard ground, her wounds not permitting her to move. All she could do was turn her head a fraction to see Rikku trying to get to her feet.

"I'll… finish t-them," she muttered, patting Paine on the shoulder with slight strength. "I'll sa-save Yuni."

With that she was gone, using her speed to stumble towards the hounds where her sounds were silenced. Paine strainer her ears to try and hear the outcome, but there was nothing accept for the constant growling and occasional thump of another casualty.

'I have to save them,' she thought, a ball of energy flaring up inside again. 'Have to get up and save my friends…'

The more wound Rikku inflicted, the more she was rewarded with. She found herself slumped to the ground countless amounts of times, unable to reach the pale unmoving form of Yuna only metres away. Desperation forced her back to her feet each time, but after a strong knock from one of the hounds she was forced onto her back and didn't get up. She lay, sprawled out, surrounded by the enemy, a strong warm wind covering her. She glanced over at Yuna to see her robes billowing in the sudden burst of eat and confusion clouded her mind. What was causing such a strong current?

Her question was answered as Paine appeared above her, flames licking around her body. She stared down at Rikku, smiling as the hounds around her were caught in the surrounding flames and were scorched to ashes. The inferno spread across the area, but left Rikku and Yuna unharmed. For the fiends, however, they had no chance. It took only seconds until they were all gone and Paine collapsed to the ground completely.

Rikku slowly rolled herself onto her side and with trembling hands she pushed herself up to sit and stare at a barely conscious Paine who was slumped over, staring at the ground as droplets of sweat rolled from her face and mingled with the dirt.

"Yuni?" Rikku croaked.

As though she had been shocked back to life, Paine glanced up and leapt her feet. It seemed that with every step she took her body regained more energy and after a few seconds she ran to Yuna's side.

Behind her, Rikku too had returned to her usual energetic self and appeared at Yuna's opposite side. She stared at Paine, disbelieving. "How did we recover so fast?"

Paine shook her head. "No idea, but we need to get Yuna out of here. She's been knocked out, and I don't think we'll be left alone for much longer." She paused and stared down at the young mage. "What was she thinking?"

"She was protecting us because she cares."

There was venom in Rikku's voice. Slight, but noticeable. It left Paine staring at her, unsure of what to say. Clearly the girl had not forgotten about what she had said in the cavern at the bottom of the lake, and she still believed that Paine didn't care.

"Come on," Rikku muttered as she slid her hands beneath Yuna, confident that she could carry her. Though Paine knew Rikku could handle it in her current form, she helped to carry the unconscious girl.

They had to get away from the open like this where they could recover, and hopefully talk.

She did not want to leave things like this between her and her friend Rikku. She needed her to know how much she cared.


	7. Back on the Road

**Chapter Seven: Back on the Road**

Yuna's face was pale as she lay motionless beside Rikku, her chest rising and falling softly with each breath. There had been no change in her condition since she had been knocked unconscious by the shielded hounds, but escaping with her life was a lucky reward.

"I still can't believe she tried to take them on as a white mage," Paine said as she stared across at the still form. "What was she thinking?"

A quick glare from Rikku caught her off guard. "Well if it wasn't for her we would have been ripped apart." Her voice was calm and steady, but it cloaked anger. Clearly she had not forgotten about what Paine had said to her after her mishap with the spell at the lake of mud.

Paine sighed and lowered her head. "I know, but she still could have changed into something else." She didn't want to talk about the argument Rikku desperately wanted to begin. She was too tired after her major attack on the fiends. Even after she had changed back to her normal warrior dressphere, she felt drained and could barely keep her eyes open.

"She didn't have time to think. She had to act before we were killed." Rikku's tone had not changed, but now she could not break eye contact with the warrior. It was a daring act, for Paine hated it when people stared at her.

Through her irritation, Paine glared back at her. "Rikku, don't bother. I could stare down a Greater Drake if I put my mind to it." It was true. She had proved this in the middle of the Thunder Plains, staring into the giant beast's glowing red eyes until it turned away only to have its ribs shattered.

Silently, Rikku rose and headed towards the entrance of the small crack they had located in the side of a long rocky wall. She stared out at the vast landscape of deserted stony ruins that glowed all shades of red, brown and orange.

With a heavy sigh Paine also rose and headed over t other young girl. She hesitantly placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke so softly she could barely believe she was speaking at all.

"Rikku, I care about you so much. It's not just Yuna I love as a best friend…" She froze, hesitating at the next sentence, but continued regardless. "Your like a real family to me, and it wouldn't be complete without both of you."

A sob racked through Rikku's body, then she unexpectedly whirled around and threw herself into Paine's arm, her head resting against her collarbone as she wept relentlessly.

"Oh Paine, I'm so sorry! You and Yuni are my family too!"

As the shock of the sudden embrace began to pass, Paine stifled a laugh. "What about Brother?"

Rikku snorted into her neck as she raised her head. "What about him?"

They remained like that for a few moments, standing in a sisterly embrace. At first Paine tried to shrug her off as subtly as she could manage, but seeing that the thief was not going to budge she tried to enjoy it as much as she could. It was a shock when she realised that she was actually comfortable, and didn't want to release the young girl. She was so important to her, and she felt protective of her. Even as she stood, holding her, she felt her muscles tense at the slightest movements over the blondes shoulder and prepared herself to jump in the way of any incoming attacks.

Finally, the frail al-bhed pulled away and stared up at Paine. "Your eyes are teary," she pointed out with an amused smile.

Instinctively Paine wiped them dry and shook her head. "It's the heat."

"Wow, you really do like hugs after all. See Rikku, she is all soft inside."

Yuna had woken from her unconscious state and was standing behind the warrior who had frozen in shock at her words.

"That is _not _true," Paine said in her defence, a playful smile forming on her lips. "And if you say it again, little gunner, I may have to take respect points from you."

Yuna pretended to be utterly outraged. "Little gunner? Oh no you didn't!" Quick as a flash she launched herself at Paine, but the dark clad girl was faster and sidestepped her. With a laugh she push Yuna lightly in the shoulder, sending her flying backwards. The gunner had to back flip to avoid slipping onto her backside.

"Hey, let me play too!" Rikku cried gleefully, jumping at Paine.. She was caught easily and deposited roughly to the side as Yuna raced forward again.

"Two on one, that is so unfair!" Paine complained, but the smile on her face gave away her enjoyment as she engaged in a gently grappling with her friends.

It was times like this when there was no need to worry about the troubles they faced, and sure enough, they had soon forgotten all about the terrifying landscape that surrounded them and the fiends that prowled.

After all, they had each other, and that was all they needed for hope.

The weather had turned cruel again as the three girls trekked across the barren land again, leaving their place of safety behind. The air was thick with heat and left their clothes sticking to them, sweat running down their faces. Each stone was boiling hot to the touch and the clouds had turned a deep crimson. Paine couldn't stop staring up at the odd sight in the sky, but they decided it was simply something to do with the terrible weather.

Up ahead was the lave lake, boiling and spewing out globs of bright molten rock.

Rikku approached with a grim face. "How are we meant to cross this?"

Her two companions stood at the edge of the lake beside her, staring down at the thick liquid that flowed steadily past.

A wicked smile appeared on Paine's lips. "Think that dressphere we found will allow us to jump across?" She had already fallen in love with the newest member to her sphere grid and was itching to use it.

"You know, it may just do that," Yuna agreed. She stepped back and motioned for Paine to act. "Well, you want to try it out first?"

Without a moment's hesitation Paine had begun to change. Her body disappeared from view and she was swallowed by a mass of flames that didn't scorch the earth.

Rikku pulled out her own garment grid. "And to make things easier for her," she began, activating her own choice of dressphere. She too was gone from sight, and Yuna grew weary for her safety. She pulled out her guns and loaded them, staring around to make sure she was safe.

A moment later Paine appeared, the demonic, revealing attire showing her muscular body that seemed enhanced by the dressphere. She smirked at Yuna, but her smile faded as she realised that Rikku was gone.

"Changing," Yuna explained simply, returning her guns to their holsters.

"I'm here," the blonde suddenly perked up, appearing in a flash of light at the edge of the lake. She had become a mage again and winked at the pair. "Time to redeem myself, but not with water."

Instead she used ice. The crystal surface stretched out across one half of the lake, not being able to make it further across the heat. Rikku's muscles tenses and bulged as she tried to force it to go out further. Perspiration coated her forehead and her breath became ragged.

"Rikku, enough." Yuna was at her side, now in her songstress dressphere. She seemed to glow in beauty, but her face was worried as she held the unstable Rikku up.

Paine shook her head. "Next time, don't make yourself almost collapse Rikku. That's not much of a redemption."

Rikku nodded and lowered herself to the ground. It was then when she realised the odd choice of dressphere Yuna had made.

When she asked, Yuna shrugged. "It feels lighter," she pointed out, smiling at Paine. "If you make it, you can just come back and carry me across. I don't do very well in that new dressphere, so I'd rather not take a chance."

Paine laughed but nodded. "So will I be your taxi service as well Rikku?"

Rikku shook her head vigorously and pulled herself ip, her hands clutched around her garment grid. "I don't think so! I love the new dressphere! It's so… powerful!"

Glad that she would only have to carry one, Paine lined herself up, braced herself, then raced across the short ramp pf ice. Her clawed feet dug into the cold surface, but it stayed stable, and even as she launched herself from the edge it remained intact.

The hot wind blew hard against her, threatening to shorten the length of her jump, but she easily made it with some few metres to spare.

"There, easy!" she yelled over the lake before jumping straight back to collect Yuna.

"Okay, here we go," the nervous songstress said as Paine scooped her up in her strong arms.

"Hold on tight," was the woman's only warning as she launched herself into the air again. It was a safe landing, but it left Yuna dizzy and unable to stand. She fell to her knees, shaking but laughing at the thrill, and Paine turned to call across to Rikku.

"Your turn!"

"Okay!" Rikku cried back. She backed up, prepared for the long jump, but just as she pushed herself forward into a run a shadow appeared above her head. She froze, her blood turning ice cold at the sound of Yuna's strangled scream, then the darkness consumed her as the mysterious visitor swooped down upon her.

Paine was already back across the lake and speeding towards Rikku. She reached her in a split second and slammed herself into the form that had her dear friend pinned to the ground.

It was a small dragon fiend, half the size of Rikku, but with a fiery nature. Its long tongue rolled out, leaving room for a long burst of flame. Its bright red scales shone orange as the fire escaped its mouth and rose like fur on a cat as it roared into the air.

After the surprise attack Rikku rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself up, but she was shaky and barely able to understand what had happened. All she could do was watch as Paine slashed away at the dragon.

The little fiend was fast. It dodged most of her attacks, scrambling this way and that, and after each stroke with her arms it would launch itself into the air and spit a ball of fire at her.

"Damn!" Paine cried out as she rolled away from another flaming missile. She had a number of stinging scratches on her arms that bled steadily, leaving crimson spots on the ground, but luckily she received a helping hand.

Even from across the lake of lava Yuna was an excellent shot. Back in her gunner dressphere she fired expertly at the dragon, her shots penetrating it through the ribs and the wings.

Angry screeches escaped the dragon and it desperately unleashed a wave of fire that neither of the girl's would had expected it could hold.

Seeing that she was right in the way of the fire, Paine dragged Rikku roughly to her feet and raced her to the edge of the lake. Her claws dug into the girl's back, but she ignored her whimpers. Behind them the dragon was chasing, the flames racing after it. Oddly it seemed to grow with each step small licking spikes of fire appeared at its now giant mouth.

"I know what this is!" Paine yelled out as she glanced back at the now towering creature that perused them.

Rikku allowed herself to be half carried along the ground. "A little enlightenment?"

Paine scoffed a laugh, though she didn't look amused. "It's going to self destruct."

As though sensing the danger, Yuna dropped to the ground and shielded herself as Paine jumped, Rikku tight in her grasp despite her own capabilities. Behind them the dragon unleashed its most lethal suicidal attack and disappeared in an explosion of its own flames. They pierced the air, the force throwing Paine and Rikku further than they intended.

With a rough thud they hit the ground and slid to a stop at the edge of a small clump of rocks. Both lay still, grazes covering their bodies and cuts leaking blood covering Paine's arms. Despite the pain they both managed to raise themselves up and glance over to see Yuna approaching as fast as her white robes would allow.

"Heal!" she bellowed, raising her staff in the air. Small dots of light flowed along the metal and surrounded her two comrades, but they didn't even need such a strong spell as that. They were healed in a matter of seconds.

"Thanks Yuni," Rikku said as she pulled herself up and hugged her cousin tightly. "Your always so talented with your healing!"

Paine, less steady than the youngest, was slower to find her footing, but she too couldn't keep a grateful smile off of her face.

"I never need to worry about getting slaughtered with you around Yuna."

The white mage grinned, but lowered her head a little. "I think we could do with another rest," she said, noticing how tired her two friends looked. "Anyway, we need to talk about this new dressphere."

Paine smiled, staring down at her clawed hands that were drenched with blood. "Amazing, isn't it?"

Yuna laughed nervously and nodded her head towards a small clump of rocks that rose together like mountains, but they were too short to claim that title.

"Over there," she said, looking up at the sky on a whim. "The clouds are turning grey. Rains coming."

As the three headed towards the new haven of rest, they couldn't help but feel uneasy. So far they had heard no sphere waves, and they had received nothing but trouble, accept for the dressphere. But the battles were terrible. If they weren't careful, they would lose much more than they had gained.


	8. Author's Note

**Author's Note:** I am sorry to everyone who is enjoying this story, but I am afraid that it will not be continued beyond this point. It seems it is not as successful as I was hoping it would be, and I am all out of ideas. I am truly sorry to anyone who wanted this continued, but I will probably write a shorter FFX-2 fanfic so hopefully I do not get stuck like this.

I apologize for this.

_ShatteredHeart98_


End file.
